Galaxy rally for draw against rival LAFC

Reuters Staff

3 Min Read

Romain Alessandrini and Ola Kamara scored in the final 10 minutes to lead the visiting LA Galaxy from two goals down to a 2-2 draw against Los Angeles Football Club on Thursday evening at Banc of California Stadium.

The Galaxy (9-7-5, 32 points) now have a win and a draw in their first two games against their expansion, intra-city rivals. They came behind again after an incredible 4-3 victory over LAFC in late March at the StubHub Center, where the Galaxy rallied from a 3-0 deficit.

This time around, Carlos Vela and Lee Nguyen scored in the first half to give LAFC (10-5-6, 36 points) an early lead. The hosts had plenty of time and chances to add to their advantage before allowing the Galaxy’s comeback, which was helped by a poor backwards pass from Andre Horta in the Portuguese 21-year-old’s LAFC debut.

LAFC remain in second place in the Western Conference. The Galaxy, unbeaten in their last eight, sit fourth.

LAFC controlled most of the match and led 7-1 in shots on target before the Galaxy pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute. Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the service from the right to Alessandrini, who controlled the ball with his chest and then fired a vicious half-volley across his body and inside the left post.

The game was tied only four minutes later when Kamara seized upon an ill-advised pass from Horta into his own defensive half. With LAFC’s defenders surprised, Kamara ran onto the ball, rounded goalkeeper Tyler Miller and slotted the ball into an empty net.

Vela gave LAFC the lead in the seventh minute to punctuate a bright start for the hosts, finding a spot at the edge of the 6-yard box and heading in Adama Diomande’s cross from right. The goal came only moments after Vela missed connecting with another cross from the opposite side.

It was 2-0 only 13 minutes later. Mark-Anthony Kaye won a free kick when he induced the Galaxy’s Perry Kitchen into a foul.

Kaye was hurt in the process and required a substitution, departing in favor of Eduard Atuesta. And as soon as referee Alan Kelly blew his whistle to resume play, Nguyen stepped up and curled a free kick over the wall and inside the left corner.